Peter and Paul are the two most famous and arguably most important of all Christian martyrs. No contemporary accounts of their deaths survive, so historians depend on later narratives for reconstructing the ends of the apostles' lives. Traditionally, the Acts of Peter and Acts of Paul have been the basis for such reconstructions, but these are not the only ancient martyrdom stories that survive. This book for the first time collects the various ancient accounts, which number more than a dozen, along with more than forty references to the martyrdoms from early Christian literature. At last a more complete picture of the traditions about the deaths of Peter and Paul is able to emerge.
Peter and Paul are the two most famous and arguably most important of all Christian martyrs. No contemporary accounts of their deaths survive, so historians depend on later narratives for reconstructing the ends of the apostles' lives. Traditionally, the Acts of Peter and Acts of Paul have been the basis for such reconstructions, but these are not the only ancient martyrdom stories that survive. This book for the first time collects the various ancient accounts, which number more than a dozen, along with more than forty references to the martyrdoms from early Christian literature. At last a more complete picture of the traditions about the deaths of Peter and Paul is able to emerge.
